't mean that you shall hurry
him right off to-day or even to-morrow. But these lazy rascals of mine
will hang around a girl a week, if she'll allow it. Had John or Theodore
taken you home, I shouldn't expect to see either of them in a fortnight.
Now, if they don't treat you right at home, come back and live with us.
I'll adopt you as my daughter. And tell your pa that the first general
rain that falls, I'm coming over with my hounds for a cat hunt with him.
Good-by, sweetheart."

It was a delightful ride across to the Frio. Mounted on two splendid
horses, we put the Nueces behind us as the hours passed. Frequently we
met large strings of cattle drifting in towards the river for their
daily drink, and Miss Frances insisted on riding through the cows,
noticing every brand as keenly as a vaquero on the lookout for strays
from her father's ranch. The young calves scampered out of our way, but
their sedate mothers permitted us to ride near enough to read the brands
as we met and passed. Once we rode a mile out of our way to look at a
_manada_. The stallion met us as we approached as if to challenge all
intruders on his domain, but we met him defiantly and he turned aside
and permitted us to examine his harem and its frolicsome colts.

But when cattle and horses no longer served as a subject, and the wide
expanse of flowery mesa, studded here and there with Spanish daggers
whose creamy flowers nodded to us as we passed, ceased to interest us,
we turned to the ever interesting subject of sweethearts. But try as I
might, I could never wring any confession from her which even suggested
a preference among her string of admirers. On the other hand, when she
twitted me about Esther, I proudly plead guilty of a Platonic friendship
which some day I hoped would ripen into something more permanent, fully
realizing that the very first time these two chums met there would be an
interchange of confidences. And in the full knowledge that during these
whispered admissions the truth would be revealed, I stoutly denied that
Esther and I were even betrothed.

But during that morning's ride I made a friend and ally of Frances Vaux.
There was some talk of a tournament to be held during the summer at
Campbellton on the Atascosa. She promised that she would detain Esther
for it and find a way to send me word, and we would make up a party and
attend it together. I had never been present at any of these pastoral
tourneys and was hopeful that one w